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When Hanna coe--she knew Kate was behind it--her dad just shrugged and said, "I can’t force you girls to get along"

Hanna stood, straightened her clothes again, and elbowed through the mob Naomi, Riley, and Kate had been joined by Mason Byers and James Freed To Hanna’s surprise, Mike was also with them

"It’s not true," he protested There were pink splotches on his face and neck

"Whatever, dude" Mason rolled his eyes "I know this is your locker" He flashed his iPhone screen toward Naoroaned and squealed

Hanna squeezed Mike’s hand "What’s going on?"

Mike’s gray-blue eyes ide "Someone sent Mason a photo of my lacrosse locker," he said sheepishly "But they weren’t mine, I swear"

"Sure, skidmarks," James teased

"Skidz," Naomi quipped Everyone tittered

"What wasn’t yours?" Hanna glanced briefly at Nao at Mason’s iPhone "What wasn’t Mike’s?" she repeated firot a little skids probleed each other

"I don’t," Mike protested "So withyourself, rabbed the iPhone from Mason On the screen was a picture of a Rosewood Day sports locker Hanna recognized Mike’s blue Ralph Lauren hoodie hanging fro’s Corn Flakes stuffed rooster Front and center was a pair of white D&G boxer-briefs that were blatantly…skidded

She slowly untangled her hand from Mike’s and stepped away

"I don’t even wear D&G underwear" Mike stabbed at the screen, trying to delete the photo

Naomi let out a screech "Ew, Mason, Skidz touched your phone!"

"Purell!" James declared

Mason took the phone froer "Ugh Skidz gerirls echoed A couple of blond, y freshirls across the hall whispered and pointed One of thelowered at Mason "Who sent you this photo?"

Mason shoved his hands into the pockets of his pin-striped dress pants "A concerned citizen I didn’t recognize the nu French club food festival warped and wobbled before Hanna’s eyes It was just the kind of text A would have sent But A was Billy…and Billy had been arrested

"You believe ain

"Aw, they’re holding hands!" Riley elbowed Naoirl who doesn’t mind his dirty undies!"

"Don’t they led "Skidz and Psycho!"

The group exploded into jeering laughter "I’

The laughing continued unabated Hanna looked around helplessly A bunch of kids in the hall were staring Even a student teacher ducked out of an earth science classrooet out of here," Mike murmured in Hanna’s ear He wheeled around and stormed down the hall His shoelace was untied, but he didn’t stop to fix it Hanna wanted to follow, but her legs felt fused to the polished les multiplied

This orse than the tirade when Ali, Nao turns poking her stohboy This orse than when Hanna’s presumed best friend in the world, Mona Vanderwaal, sent her a six-sizes-too-small court dress to wear to her birthday party--the dress split down the butt as soon as she walked in Mike was supposed to be popular She was supposed to be popular And now they were both…freaks

Hanna swept through the lobby and outside The brisk February air bit at her nose and set the flags in the center of the green flapping angrily against the flagpole They were no longer at half- Jenna and Ali at the base of the pole Buses groaned into the drive and idled at the curb, ready for afternoon pickup A couple of crows hunched under a spindly lirown shrub

Goose bumps rose on Hanna’s ar into her mind Hanna’s crazy roommate at the Preserve, Iris, had taken it in a secret attic room whose walls were decorated with doodles froht behind Hanna’s head, eerily close to her face, was a huge, un looked o you don’t, the Ali on the wall see a secret